Level
by Ghost of A Chance
Summary: Sam had dreamed of her senior prom for years.  Why is it that reality is nothing like dreams?
1. The Rift Between

_Hi everyone! I'm kinda new at this although this is not my first fic. Please read and enjoy and leave a little something when you're done! I feel I should warn you, everyone's a little out of character. One of these days I may figure out how to keep them in character but it won't happen during this fic considering it's finished. _

_Once again please let me know if you are interested in reading more. As I said this fic is finished and you hold the key to it being posted! Review, review, review! _

**AK**

Sam sighed heavily. It was Monday morning and she was standing near the door to Casper waiting for the two men in her life to appear. It had been a trying weekend for all three of them. Saturday had been the big night, four years in the making. Prom. Sam had spent the better part of those four years pining away for Danny. She had hoped that he would have realized what so many other Casper students had noticed all along. But then again, that's Danny for you, clueless to a fault. She couldn't help but love him for it. After four years of planning, hoping, wishing, dreaming and so on, she had ended up at her senior prom with Tucker. But maybe that's getting a little ahead of the story.

It had all started two months ago after another fight between Casper's two love birds. Danny and Sam had been enjoying lunch outside on a beautiful sunny day. There was nothing unusual about this except for the fact that Tucker had not been there to have his daily fight with Sam. That left Danny and Sam to themselves which turned out to be a very bad thing. Well it wasn't so bad until she had shown up, she, of course, being Valerie. What Sam wouldn't do to get her hands on her for just five minutes! Valerie sashayed her way past Danny and Sam sending a loving glance and wink Danny's way. This made Sam's blood boil. She could practically feel her temperature rise. Danny had been sent to another land entirely. There were no words that could properly describe the look of bliss he wore at that moment. Sam felt her stomach turn and felt as if she was going to be sick right there. She snapped and Danny was on the receiving end.

"How can you stand that horrendous bitch?"

"Sam, calm down! She's not a bitch. I think I'm gonna ask her to prom."

"Oh. I see."

That's all that was said between the two that day. Sam felt as if her soul had been crushed. She was the one Danny was supposed to ask. That's the way this story went. Boy meets girl in kindergarten, boy and girl become friends, boy and girl fall in love, boy takes girl to prom. Not girl falls in love with boy, boy takes murderous bitch to prom. No that's not part of this fairy tale, well it shouldn't be anyway. In the end that's exactly how it went. Not two days after the fight, Sam caught wind that Danny and Valerie were going to prom together. So much for fairy tales!

It hurt to think about it. Sam had become consumed with avoiding Danny and Valerie at all costs. She never spoke to either one of them and never spoke of them with Tucker. It was like they didn't exist anymore. Sam never wanted to let anyone know just how dead she felt. Sam had always thought of herself as independent. She didn't need anyone. At least that's what she thought, but Danny had changed that for her. She didn't need anyone but him and that's the one thing it seemed she'd never have. Without Danny, she felt alone and vulnerable. She could handle being alone, but vulnerable, that's one thing Sam Manson couldn't stand to be.

After two weeks of Sam not speaking of them or to them, Tucker had decided to have an intervention of sorts. The three of them had been driven apart by Sam and Danny's denial. None of this would have happened if they would have just 'fessed up to their feelings. That was just like them though. Tucker had no idea of how to get the two together at the same time, without Valerie. Since Danny had asked Valerie to prom, one was rarely seen without the other. This complicated things that much more. Finally an opportunity had presented itself in the form of a history project. The three of them had been put in a group together and now had to work together outside of class. Tucker had immediately suggested they meet at his house. There needed to be some sort of neutral ground for the two.

So, they met after school on a Friday afternoon. Danny was the last one to show and by the time he got there Sam was furious. She had thought Danny was going to blow it off to spend more time with Valerie. Although Sam had not been speaking to Danny, she allowed herself that just to argue with him.

"Where have you been? With Valerie?"

"I thought you weren't talking to me. So what if I was with Valerie. At least she isn't as hostile as you."

"Yeah right. Why don't you tell her about Phantom and then we'll see who's hostile.

"Tuck? I can't do this! If he's gonna be here I'm going home. I'll do any part of the project you want. Figure it out and let me know."

Sam had turned and left. Tucker had not even got a word in edgewise. He stood there with a bewildered look on his face. Danny also appeared a little shocked, although he wasn't quite sure why.

"I know I shouldn't be surprised that just happened, but I can't help but feel a little disappointed. What happened, Tuck? We all used to get along so good together. Now she won't speak to me and even you seem to avoid me."

"Danny, dude, I know exactly what happened. I can't tell you though. I think you need to figure this one out for yourself. You and Sam have been friends practically your entire life; don't let her get away like this."

Danny and Tucker had spent the rest of the afternoon working on the project. When Danny left later that evening, he felt compelled to visit Sam. He wanted her to know that he still needed her friendship. He was becoming more aware that his fling with Valerie may not be long term. Valerie had a wandering eye. It seemed she liked boys a little too much to ever settle down with just one. Danny could see the heart break in his future. When it happened, he was going to need Sam. She was the one person who held him together and made his crazy life a little better.

As he floated invisibly outside her window, he watched her as she lay on her bed crying. He could hear the soft music floating out of her window and his heart broke. Had he done this to Sam? She couldn't possibly be crying over him. She was an independent girl. She had told him and Tuck plenty times that she didn't need anyone. She would never be crying over a boy, especially Danny. She was the one mad at him anyway. She could just come and talk to him and they could straighten this out. Danny flew toward his house thinking about Sam and what he could have possibly done to cause things to go so wrong between them.

The weekend went by and Sam never left her room. She had talked to Tucker a few times on the phone and he had given her the information she needed to complete her part of the history project. She worked on her part and spent the remaining moments crying on her bed. She cried for her broken friendship, his clueless ways, and her broken heart. It seemed as though all three could never be repaired. One thing of interest did happen that weekend. Her mother had shown up with a prom dress. For once, Sam was surprised at what her mother had picked out for her. It was a beautiful black dress. Sam would have been really happy, if she was going to go to the prom. Danny had been her only hope; no one would ask her now. She was a loser and nobody wanted to date a loser, not even Danny.

The following Monday, Sam was eating lunch with Tucker when their conversation turned to Friday night's events. Tucker was trying to convince her to talk to Danny. That was something she definitely did not want to do. She had cried all weekend over that boy and she just wanted to put it al behind her and move on. She promptly switched the subject.

"So, Tuck?"

"Yeah"

"Who are you going to prom with?"

"Nobody wants to go to the prom with me. I've asked every girl in school."

"Not every girl."

"Yeah, I have."

"You didn't ask me."

"Sam, you and I both know you don't want to go to the prom with me."

"Tucker you're my best friend. I wasn't going to go to the prom because Danny wasn't going to ask me. I think I would regret not going though. So what do you say? Me and you go to our senior prom together."

"Sounds fine to me I guess."

So just like that everything Sam had hoped for throughout four years of high school had been destroyed. Even if by some chance Danny broke up with Valerie and asked her to the prom there was no way she could dump Tucker. He had stood beside her through everything. She couldn't do that to him.

There was just six short weeks left until the prom. Danny was caught up in all the preparations with Valerie. She had demanded that everything be perfect. She had also not been shy about telling him what would happen if things didn't go off perfectly. The girl had been trying to kill him for three years, so Danny couldn't help but take her threats seriously.

Another week passed and Danny began to miss Tucker and Sam. They were his best friends and things just weren't the same without them. He was trying to think of a way to get them back. It seemed as long as Valerie was in the picture, Tucker and Sam weren't going to be. Maybe he could go out with them and see if he could put things back together. He called up both Tucker and Sam to see if they wanted to go see a movie with him. Tucker immediately agreed and Sam didn't. It took a little convincing but Danny was finally able to talk her into coming. Things were starting to look good again. He was going out with his friends again. Everything was fine until Valerie insisted she tag along. Danny knew that would not go over with Sam. He protested, but in the end, he stood in front of the theater waiting for Tucker and Sam with Valerie by his side.

Tucker and Sam walked down the street toward the theater. They were talking about the prom and trying to work out a few of the details. When they turned the corner they saw Danny standing in front of the theater with Valerie.

"That Jackass!"

Sam turned and ran home. Tucker continued on to the theater to confront Danny. It seemed as if Danny and Valerie were involved in some conversation and did not see what had just happened. Tucker cleared his throat to get the attention of the two.

"Danny? What do you think you're doing?"

"What do you mean? I'm waiting on you and Sam. Where is she anyway? The movie is starting soon."

"She's running back to her house. Did you really think she would stay when she saw Valerie here?"

"I don't know. I couldn't just tell Valerie she couldn't come. She's my girlfriend."

"And we're your best friends. Doesn't that mean anything?"

"Of course it does! That's why I asked you all to come. Can we go watch the movie now?"

"Go right ahead. I'm going to go find Sam."

Tucker turned and headed in the direction Sam went. He couldn't believe how insensitive Danny was being about all this. The boy had to know that Sam loved him. He had to! Tucker soon found Sam sitting in a secluded part of the park. She was crying. That was something he had never seen her do before. He sat beside her and pulled her into a hug. They spent the entire evening sitting there. Sam cried and Tucker held her. There wasn't a word said between the two.

Another week passed which meant there was just one month left until prom. Final preparations were underway for everybody. Sam and Tucker had agreed to meet up after school to go find him a suit to wear. Sam was standing outside under a tree waiting on Tucker when Danny spotted her. He walked up to her to attempt to put some of this mess behind them. That would prove to be impossible; Sam wouldn't even look at him.

"Sam, I know you can hear me. I'm just going to talk for a minute and you can jump in anytime if you want. I don't know what it is that I did. I'm truly sorry. I'll do whatever you want to make it right. Just tell me what it is!"

Tucker walked up to Sam just as Danny finished his little speech. She turned to walk away with Tucker but stopped and looked back at Danny.

"Danny, we've been friends for as long as I can remember. I can't tell you what you did because part of the problem is simply that you don't know what you did. You should know by now."

Tucker and Sam left a confused and hurt Danny behind. It was about time that he tried to figure this mess out himself instead of just relying on one of them to fix the problem for him. Sam had been hurt and Danny was clueless as to the reasons.

The following weeks went by with little to no interaction within the trio. All outward appearances would suggest that the three were no longer friends. That might not have been far from the truth. It was one week before prom and the whole school was buzzing with excitement. It had been three weeks since Danny had spoken to Tucker or Sam. He figured there was no point in approaching Sam. She'd just give him the cold shoulder. He approached Tucker instead. He needed to know how things were going with his "best" friends. He followed them home until the roads split and Tucker was alone.

"Tuck, can you talk to me?"

"What is it, Danny?"

"I miss you guys so much. Things just aren't the same without you around."

"What about Valerie?"

"What about her? She's wrapped up in prom right now so I get a break from her."

"A break?"

"Yeah, she's kind of controlling."

"Ah, I see."

"Tuck, how's Sam doing?"

"Danny, you've hurt her more than you'll ever know. She's broken inside. Imagine that! Strong Sam is broken inside. I've listened to her cry more times than I can count. The funny thing is that before all this started, I'd never seen her cry before."

"Me either. I kinda watched her cry one night from outside her window. I can't deal with this, Tuck. This isn't how it's supposed to be!"

"No it isn't. The bigger problem is I don't think you know how it is supposed to be."

"Would you please tell me how it's supposed to be then? I wanna make this right!"

"I can't do that. Maybe in time you'll get it. You'll stop being clueless and things will change."

"Clueless? I hate it when you all call me that."

"Did you ever think there might be a reason for why we do?"

"I'm sure there is, but I'll never know. I have to get back to Valerie. Bye"

Danny disappeared and Tucker headed on home. Danny may never figure this out. If he didn't, what would happen to Sam? That was a question Tucker was pretty sure he didn't want to know the answer to.

The Friday before prom was very hectic. The prom committee was hurrying to put the final touches on the decorations. Sam and Tucker were finalizing there plans for the weekend and Danny was with Valerie while she made the last of the arrangements. She didn't trust Danny enough to let him get involved. After a rough afternoon, Danny decided to leave Valerie and hunt down Tucker and Sam. This was there last big dance in high school and he wanted to make sure both were in attendance. Things wouldn't be the same without them. He took off toward Sam's house to try and approach her first. He floated outside her bedroom window briefly trying to think of a way to approach her. It was then that he heard laughter coming from inside. What had made Sam so happy all of a sudden? The last time he had seen her she looked as if she was in the depths of despair. He invisibly phased his head through the window to see what was going on inside. What he saw made his heart clinch in his chest. There in her room was Sam with Tucker's arms wrapped around her waist. He immediately withdrew his head from the wall. He flew home as fast as he could.

Tucker spun Sam around one more time. They had spent the afternoon trying to teach Tucker to dance. Through all her attempts, Sam couldn't help but laugh at Tucker. He was more of a klutz than Danny was when it came to dancing. He had stepped on her feet far too many times to count, spun her into the wall three times, playfully dipped her and dropped her in the floor twice, and tripped over his own feet only to fall knocking over Sam's huge CD collection in the process. The last one made Sam laugh so hard she cried. Tucker didn't think it was that funny but he did enjoy seeing her a bit happier. After a quick trip to Nasty Burger, they both went their separate ways after Sam made Tucker promise to leave his PDA at home when he picked her up tomorrow.

Across town, Danny lay in his bed. He had been their since returning from Sam's earlier that afternoon. At first he thought what was bothering him was seeing his two best friends without him. After two long hours, Danny had come to the realization that in no way could the pain he felt be caused by something so simple. It had to go deeper than that. He tossed several ideas around in his head until he came across one that seemed to fit. He loved Sam. Not simply like, adored or cared about (although all those certainly apply, too) he loved her. Seeing her in Tucker's embrace was heart wrenching to say the least. The more he thought about it, the harder it became to pinpoint when he had fallen in love with her. She had always been a part of his life. He didn't have very many memories that didn't contain her. He just figured she'd always be there. He was waiting for the right moment to speak up. He wanted her to hear him but now it was too late. She had moved on and closed him out. There is always the hope that they wouldn't last, that Sam and Tucker would break up. What kind of friend would he be to wish that on his two best friends? Not much of one that's for sure. He had to let her know how he felt though. Life couldn't continue until he got it off his chest.


	2. Friends and Choices

_Here it is! Welcome to part 2 of my little story. I appreciate the reviews for the first chapter. I never expected such a positive response! Hopefully you'll all enjoy this chapter as much as the first. Remember, you hold the key to the future of this fic. Once again, review, review, review! _

**AK**

A very tired Sam yawned as she leaned up against a tree, all the memories of the recent events running through her mind. Prom weekend hadn't been a total loss. She did have a great time with Tucker after they left the prom, although she'd never tell him that. Toward the end of the night was when things got weird. There was no way she could have predicted what happened. It was something that had left her confused for the remainder of the weekend. But once again, that's getting ahead of the story.

Sam was awakened by her mother early that morning. Today was the big day. It didn't really matter to Sam. It was all just a formality now. With Danny out of the picture prom meant nothing to her. She knew that she would regret not going later so she had turned to Tucker. They were friends and friends helped each other out. He didn't have a date and she didn't have a date so it was perfect.

Sam got out of bed and quickly showered and dressed. The first thing up today was her hair appointment. She hated having to get it done so early but she had no other choice because she had waited too late. The plus side was that she wasn't likely to run into anybody else from school. They had made their appointments months in advance and were not going in until later in the day. She grabbed an apple off the kitchen table and headed out the door toward the salon. Her and Tucker had spent the past few weeks ironing out their plans for prom. The one small detail she had overlooked was how she was going to wear her hair. It didn't really matter to her, just as long as they didn't do it the same as everybody else that walked through the door.

Meanwhile across town, Danny woke up to a small explosion that rocked the whole house. His parents were at it again. He got out of bed, dressed and quickly headed out the door. He had plenty of time before he had to get ready. He decided to take a walk around town and maybe he would run into Sam. He hadn't got much sleep the previous night, thoughts of Sam wouldn't leave him alone. He had tried to think of a way to tell her how he felt. She was seeing Tucker now and no matter how hard he tried Danny couldn't think of a way to tell her without possibly losing both of his friends. He was starting to think that maybe it was best if he just let it go. Sam doesn't like him anyway. How could he ever go on if he at least didn't tell her that he loves her? When did life become so complicated?

Sam left the salon a little over an hour and a half later. Her hair had been pulled back and lots of little curls were falling all around her head. She wasn't particularly fond of it but it was stereotypical prom hair. She had little more than a half an hour 'til she had to be home. She walked toward the park. She headed toward the swings in the center of the park and was surprised to see Danny sitting in one of them, mindlessly swinging back and forth. He looked as though he hadn't slept in days. It must have been a ghost that did that to him. Despite everything her mind was telling her, she walked up and sat in the swing beside him. Danny turned toward her and gave her a small smile.

"Hey stranger."

"Hey Danny. How ya been?"

"I've seen better days."

"So why aren't you getting ready for prom?"

"I don't want to just yet. Sam?"

"Yes?"

"Are you going to prom with Tucker?"

"Yes."

"Ok. I just wanted to make sure we'd all be there tonight. I've gotta go. I'll see you then."

With that Danny got up and left Sam sitting there swinging back and forth. It had been weeks since she last spoke to him and now when she did he ran away. He shouldn't have just left her like that, he could have told her all about his feelings then. He mentally cursed himself for being a chicken as he walked away. At the rate he was going, he'd never be able to tell her how he felt. He headed toward his house to begin to get ready for the prom. Part of him couldn't help but feel disappointed that when he danced tonight, it wouldn't be Sam in his arms.

Sam exited the park and walked towards Tucker's house. She desperately needed to talk to someone. She knocked on the door and soon Tucker was standing in front of her.

"Sam, I'm not supposed to see you before the big event."

"Tucker, we're going to the prom, not getting married."

"Oh. Well what did ya need?"

"Can I come in? I need to talk about Danny."

Tucker moved to let Sam in. He took in her appearance. She had already had her hair done and it was beautiful. There was something about her that was off just a little bit. It was as if a horrible sadness lay buried just beneath the surface. Given the events of the past few weeks, he assumed that that wasn't far from the truth.

"Tuck, I can't do this. I was supposed to go to prom with him. That's how this story ends. We're supposed to confess our undying love, go to prom, get married, and so on."

"Take it easy, Sam. I never took you for the type to believe in fairy tales."

"I don't. At least, not anymore. Why do I have to love that clueless asshole?"

"We don't have to go if you don't want to. I think we should though. You could always ask him to dance. Maybe he'll realize what he's missing and your fairy tale will come true after all."

"That will never happen."

"It might. Just give it a chance to work. It's never too late."

"Thanks Tuck. I've got to go finish getting ready. See ya in a few?"

"See ya in a few."

After several hours of preparations, it was time for the big event. Sam heard the doorbell ring from up in her room. She had found it increasingly difficult to get excited about the prom. She once again thought about telling Tucker she wasn't going. Instead, she plastered the biggest hollow smile she could manage on her face. She picked up her tiny handbag and left her room. As she descended the stairs, she saw Tuck standing at the bottom. She had to admit he cleaned up nicely. It had taken nearly three weeks but in the end she had convinced him to leave the beret at home. Sam gracefully descended the final step and locked arms with Tucker. He looked at her and she noticed his smile slowly start to fade. Had he noticed that her smile was fake? Did he know where she really wanted to be tonight? He didn't need to worry about her. This was his prom and she had asked him. They posed for several pictures and then they were on their way. As soon as they were out of earshot of Sam's parents, Tucker asked her the big question.

"Sam, you don't really want to go, do you?"

"I'm sorry Tuck. I really don't. I don't want to see him dancing with her. I want to be the one he dances with. I'm getting so tired of this. I'm leaving this stupid town the day after I graduate."

"Don't say that Sam."

"Why not? Nobody'd miss me."

"Danny would."

"That just makes me want to leave that much more."

"Come on Sam, let's go to the prom."

"Right behind ya."

The gym looked beautiful. There was balloons and confetti everywhere. Sam looked around and hated to admit that she was impressed with what had been done with few dollars they had managed to raise. She felt Tucker pull on her arm and before she knew it they were in the middle of gym dancing. She quickly scanned the place only to find that Danny and Valerie hadn't arrived yet. She shuddered to think what they might be doing that would delay them. Those thoughts quickly vanished when she saw them walk through the door. Valerie was beautiful. All those weeks of planning had paid off. Sam looked over her dress as she remembered seeing it on the cover of one of her mom's fashion magazines. Valerie had to have been saving money since freshman year to be able to afford something like that. Sam's gaze drifted off of Valerie and for the first time it landed on Danny. Her heart nearly stopped. He was gorgeous, but then again he always looked good. There was just something about that suit he was wearing that fit him so perfectly. Sam chuckled to herself when she thought about what her mom would think if she ever brought Danny home looking like that. Not that it would ever happen. Tucker heard her chuckle and stepped back from her to see what she was looking at. He was surprised to see Danny and Valerie standing there.

"Wow, you're happier to see them than I thought you would be."

"I'm not happy to see _them_, just him. He looks really good tonight."

"Valerie's not looking too bad herself."

"Why don't you go talk to them? I'm going to go sit down at the table."

Sam sat down at a table in the far corner of the gym. She watched as all the happy couples danced to a love song. If she were out there with Danny it would have made a big difference, but as it was she hated that love song. It stood for everything she would never have, true love. The sound of the couples happily talking and laughing could nearly drown out the music. Sam hadn't quite decided yet if that was a good thing or a bad thing. As she sat watching, she saw Tucker with Valerie. They looked happy. Why couldn't he be the one in love with Valerie? Why did it have to be Danny?

"Am I not supposed to be happy? Everybody else is. Why not me?"

"What would make you happy Sam?" Sam turned to see Danny standing behind her.

"Doesn't matter anymore. I think things are the way they are supposed to be and I can't do anything to change it."

"If there's one thing I've learned in the past four years, it's that the future isn't as set in stone as people would lead you to believe. I mean you're alive and I'm not evil. There ya go. Proof positive."

"That may be but all those changes only had positive consequences. For me to be happy there would be at least one person unhappy, probably two."

"And who might they be?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Sam, I know you're with Tucker now, but would you like to dance?"

Sam got up and allowed Danny to lead her out onto the dance floor. He took her in his arms and spun her gracefully around the floor. Sam wasn't aware than Danny even knew how to dance, let alone be so good at it. He pulled her close so he could whisper in her ear.

"Sammy, I have something very important to tell you. I can't do it right now, not during prom. Would you meet me afterward behind the bleachers?"

"Sure, Danny."

"Thanks, Sam. I think Tuck's looking for you. You better get back to him."

"Sure. I'll see you after prom."

A few seconds after Danny departed, Tuck stormed up to her. He looked as if his blood was about to boil. Sam could only imagine what had happened to him.

"Tucker, what is going on? Why are you so angry?"

"Danny's little girlfriend is a huge bitch. She propositioned me. Can you believe it? Danny wasn't even fifteen feet away. I tell her no and then she starts calling you names. Nobody picks on Tucker Foley's date. Nobody!"

"Calm down Tucker. You don't have to stand up for me. I can beat her down myself. Let me at her." Tucker grabbed her wrist as she tried to storm off after Valerie.

"Sam, I think this was all a bad idea. Do you still wanna go home? We can watch movies or something. Anything has got to be better than this."

"Yeah I guess so. Wait, I was supposed to meet Danny afterward let me tell him I'm not going to be able to." Sam headed across the gym to Danny.

"Danny, I need to talk to you. I'm not going to be able to meet you. Me and Tuck are leaving now."

"Can I come by your place later? I really need to talk to you."

"Sure. See ya then."

Sam and Tucker left the prom and headed back to Sam's house. Tucker had luckily calmed down a bit and things were running a little more smoothly. When Sam walked through the door her mom looked very upset to see her. It hadn't even been an hour since they left to go to prom. Her mom was probably upset that her only daughter wouldn't be there to win prom queen. It wouldn't make a difference if she was there or not. The only way that Sam would ever be prom queen is if she paid off the entire student body. That didn't matter to her. It was a title she was more than ok with not winning. Her mother would have to get over her disappointment.

Tucker headed for the downstairs bathroom while Sam climbed the steps to her room. There was no need for either of them to be as dressed up as they were anymore. When Sam came back downstairs she was wearing her pajamas. Tuck had changed back into his regular clothes. They both headed down to the basement where they were planning on watching movies. Five hours into their mega horror movie-a-thon, Tucker stood and announced it was time for him to leave. Sam walked up stairs and said good night to him at the door. She returned to the basement to throw away the trash they had left scattered about and then went to her room. No sooner than the door was shut she could tell she wasn't alone.

"Who's in here?"

"I's jus' me Sam."

"Danny, are you drunk?"

"Maybe, jus' a li'l bit."

"What are you doing here?"

"I told yous I's comin' by."

"Oh, Danny what have you done? Where's Valerie?"

"Probably off gettin' laid by some unnerclassssman."

"And you don't care?"

"Nope, I'm lookin' at my lady. Whaddaya say Sam?"

"I say you're drunk and hell no."

"Come on Sammy, you're supposed to do it on prom night."

"Yeah, you're also supposed to be sober."

Danny did his best to walk up to her. He finally made it after nearly tripping over his own feet three times. He leaned forward and kissed her softly. Sam took a step back and Danny fell in the floor.

"What'd you do that for Sammy? I jus' wan-n-ned to kiss my girl."

"Danny, I'm not you're girl. If I was we would have went to prom together like we were supposed to. Hell, a lot of things that were supposed to happen would have. Instead of spending prom with you, I spent it with Tucker. I spent it with Tucker and had to take crap from your date. I would have loved to spend tonight with you but why did you have to screw everything up? Why am I telling you this? You won't remember any of it."

Sam looked down at Danny only to see that he had passed out. She rolled him over on his stomach and went to bed. This had been one confusing evening. What did Danny want? He had had something important to say before he showed up drunk.

Sam was awakened early the next morning when she felt someone sat down beside her on the bed. She looked at the clock to see it was only 6:00. She rolled toward her visitor and could barely make out Danny looking down at her.

"Hey, Sam."

"Oh great do I get to hear more of your drunken nonsense?"

"Uh oh. What did I say? I don't remember anything after I arrived here last night, other than I was drinking."

"You're not drunk anymore?"

"No it seems to pass through me fairly quickly."

"Good. I wouldn't want you to try to get lucky again."

"Oh no I didn't. Sam I'm so sorry. I've had a really hard time lately with Valerie and you and Tucker. I just needed to forget about it for a little bit."

"I have a couple questions. Where was Valerie last night? What did you have to tell me? Why were you in my room?"

"First off, I've known for a while now that Valerie has been less than faithful to me. There is both an upside and a downside to being able to sneak invisibly into your girlfriend's room."

"You sorta mentioned that last night."

"Yeah well I guess no amount of alcohol will wash that pain away. I suspect she went out with one of her junior boyfriends. I don't really care. I don't want to know anymore."

"Shouldn't you know what she's into so you won't get anything from her?"

"Hold up! I am not doing anything like that with her. I haven't done that with any… ya know what nevermind."

"Whatever. You still have two more questions to answer."

"Well, I was in your room to talk to you. I hadn't been here that long, I think. I don't really remember a whole lot about last night."

"I wonder why that would be. Now answer the last one. What was so important?"

"You know what? I haven't been home. I should probably go." Danny jumped up ready to fly out of the window.

"Hold it right there Inviso-Bill. You make one more move and I'll call the Guys in White and tell 'em where you live." Danny froze and slowly turned around to look at her.

"Your bluffin'."

"Try me ghost boy. Now just tell me what you had to tell me and then you can be on your way."

"It's not that simple. I wanted everything to be perfect. I was gonna meet you under the bleachers and then take you on a fly above the city. It would just be me and you without any interruptions. As usual though, nothing in my crazy life goes as planned."

"You make it sound like you were going to ask me to marry you or something." Danny blushed deeply.

"Well if I did would you say yes?" It was Sam's turn to blush.

"Danny, could you just tell me what you wanted and quit stallin'?"

"Fine, but you have to promise not to hurt me."

"I make no such promise."

"Sam!" Danny growled at her

"Fine."

"I know that you're seeing Tucker now, but…"

"Hold it right there. I went to prom with Tucker because I thought I would regret not going. I'm not his girlfriend."

"You're not?"

"No."

"Would you be my girlfriend then?"

"What?!?"

"Will you go out with me?"

"What about Valerie?"

"I broke up with her last night."

"Danny I don't know."

"Sam, please. I need you."

"Since when? Since you thought I was dating Tucker?"

"Actually, yeah."

"Danny…"

Sam was cut off by Danny pressing his lips to hers. Soon the two of them were oblivious to anything else. Sam didn't know if she wanted to be his girlfriend at that point in time. He had hurt her quite a bit recently. She did want to be with him right at that moment. She'd decide if she wanted to be his girlfriend later, right now she gave in to her wildest fantasies of her and Danny.

**AK**

_Thanks again! Please review!_


	3. The One You're Leaving

_Here's chapter 3. Sorry for the delay. Remember if you like what you read to leave a review!_

**AK**

Sam hadn't spoken to Danny since he left Sunday morning. The nerves she had been battling all morning only intensified when she saw him and Tucker approach her outside the school. What would she say to him now? What would he say to her? Did Tucker know what they did? Did anyone else know? She really needed to calm down. She still had to answer Danny's question. She had not given him an answer when he left yesterday morning. Did she want to be his girlfriend? The two boys had walked up to her and began a conversation. Sam was snapped back to reality.

"Hey Sam! Danny here says he broke up with Valerie this weekend."

"Is that so?" Danny gave her a look that she'd never forget. It was full of love, warmth, longing, and a sense of knowing. She was ready to forget all about the hurt at that moment in time. If he could look at her like that, she wanted nothing else but to spend the rest of her life with him. And crash back to reality in 3… 2…

"Danny! Danny, can we talk?" It was Valerie. What did that whore want now? Danny left her and Tucker standing there and ran off to see what it was that Valerie wanted.

"Sam, this is your chance. He's a free man now." Sam snorted as she looked at Valerie and Danny chatting.

"Does that look like a free man to you?" She pointed in their direction.

"He said it was over, I trust him."

"That would be your first mistake."

The bell rang and Sam and Tucker headed inside to their first class. As they took their seats in the back, they began talking over plans to go see a movie that night. Danny soon came in and sat down in his seat in front of Tucker. He turned around to talk to them.

"So guys, what are your plans for this afternoon?"

"Me and Sam are going to see a movie. Do you want to come with us?"

"I, uh, I kinda have plans with Valerie." Sam froze. The pencil she had been holding dropped to the desk and then rolled onto the floor. She hadn't heard him right. She couldn't have. He wouldn't do that to her.

"Are you back with her now?"

"I don't know. Maybe. We have a complicated relationship."

That did it. Forget school. Forget it all. Sam got up and walked out. At that moment she had no idea where she was going. The only thing that mattered is that she put some distance between her and Daniel Fenton. After she exited the school, she headed to the park. It being the middle of the day on a school day there shouldn't be anybody there. Her assumption was correct. When she arrived there wasn't another soul in the park. She walked over to the swings and began to push herself back and forth. After about ten seconds she stopped swinging completely. Her head fell and she began to sob. How had one boy turned her life so upside down? She had loved him and no doubt part of her still did but she was done with him. It would take divine intervention to get the two of them together again. There was just three weeks of school left. She had made up her mind. After graduation she was going to leave early and take summer courses. Maybe a little distance would help heal her broken heart.

Sam spent most of the day swinging on that swing in the park. Around the time school let out she headed back to her house. Now that her mind had been made up she needed to prepare for leaving for college. As soon as she walked in the door her phone rang. She looked at the caller ID only to recognize the number as Danny's. She didn't want to talk to him right now. She let the call go to voice mail and then quickly dialed Tucker's number. She soon heard his voice greeting her over the line.

"Tuck, why did he do this to me? I finally had a chance. He asked me to be his girlfriend Sunday morning. I didn't answer him right away and he went running back to Valerie."

"He what? I'll kill him. No wait, I'll tell Jazz and let her kill him. That would be more humiliating."

"Doesn't matter anymore. I never told you this but I've been considering going to school a little early and taking summer classes. I was holding out hoping to spend one more summer with you guys. I can't do it now though. I think I need to get away so I can let my heart heal. I need to be away from everything that's happened. Maybe in time I can come to terms with everything."

"Sounds like you've already thought it all out."

"That's what happens when you spend all day in the park. Can you do me a favor and not tell Danny? I don't want him to know."

"Sure Sam I can do that."

The following weeks sped by with little happening. It turns out that Danny and Valerie had gotten back together. It wasn't very long before the two had another falling out. Tucker warned Danny that he better stay away from Sam. She was hurt beyond belief and didn't need him to use her as a rebound girl. Danny insisted that he would never do that to her. He truly loved her, or so he said. How anyone could treat someone they loved the way he had been treating Sam was impossible. Nobody ever knew about what happened in Sam's room early in the morning after prom. That was a secret between her and Danny, one they both would probably take to the grave.

Graduation had finally arrived. There they sat in perfect rows. Alphabetical order, Tucker right next to Danny. Truth be told little had been said between the trio since Sam had broken the news of her early departure to Tucker. This would be the last time in a long time the three of them would be together in the same place. Tucker knew it, Sam knew it, and Danny was clueless as usual. After the ceremony people everywhere were trying to get pictures of the grads. Danny wanted one of him and Tucker and Sam. He had one from each of their graduations, one from kindergarten, eighth grade and this would complete his collection. He rushed around the parking lot only to find Tucker waving at Sam as she drove off.

"Tuck, where's she going? I wanted a picture of all of us."

"She's leaving."

"Is she going to come to the party later? I can still get one there."

"No, she won't be back for a while. She's driving back east. She starts summer classes next week."

"What?!? Why would she leave without saying goodbye?"

"The question you should be asking yourself is: why is she going to college now instead of spending one last summer with her friends."

"What's going on Tucker?"

"You broke her heart and she's convinced she needs to get away so she can heal."

"I can still catch her and talk some sense into her."

"Danny, you better leave her alone. You've done enough for her already."

It had been a long trip but Sam had finally made it. She was nearly a thousand miles from Amity Park and she was already starting to feel better. She unloaded her car and began to settle into her room. She opened a box to find her picture album and several pictures of her and Danny and Tucker. She went through the box and pulled out a couple of pictures of her and Tucker and sat them on her desk. She put the rest back in the box and shoved the box under the bed. She dug her cell phone out of her purse and turned it on. She needed to call her parents to let them now that she had arrived. When her cell phone powered up, she immediately had a message pop that said she had five voice mail messages. It didn't take a genius to figure out who they were from. She dialed the voice mail number and waited to hear her messages.

"Hey Sam, it's me Danny, call me."

"Sam it's Danny again. Please call me."

"Sam, please call me back. Please don't ignore me."

"Sam, this is the last message I promise. Please just call me and let me know where you are."

"Alright I know I said the last message was the last but I promise this time that I won't call anymore. I need you, Sam. Why did you have to leave? I thought we shared something pretty special and then you ran away. I know I should have told you that night but I'll tell you now. I love you, Sam. Life ain't the same without you."

That was just like Danny. Whenever she was around, right under his nose, he didn't want her. The minute it appeared she wasn't available he wanted her. As far as sharing something special, if he really felt like that, why did he run back to Valerie? She didn't know what to say to him but she called him up anyway. The phone rang four times and then she heard Danny's voice on his voice mail. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and left a message that she was sure would end it all between them.

"Danny, this is Sam. I'm sorry you're not there right now so I can tell you this but this will have to do. This will be the last time you hear from me, for a long time. I have tried to stand by throughout the years and let you come to me. When I thought you finally had, you ran back to Valerie. My heart is broken beyond repair. I can't deal anymore so the best thing for me to do is stay away. If you value our friendship any at all, you won't come looking for me. I have no doubt that my future will lead me back to Amity Park eventually but right now this is best. I'll miss you more than you'll ever know. And just so you know, I…"

"Love you, too." The beep had cut her off signifying that the time limit had been reached. She thought for a minute about calling back to finish the message but decided against it. This is the way it was meant to be. Danny would never know how much she loved him. She sat down on her bed surrounded by all the things she had brought in from the car. She dug under the bed for the box of pictures and pulled out one of her and Danny at the dance freshman year. She looked at it and thought back to the time when things had been better. She cried.

The days that came found Sam preparing for school. She had cried herself to sleep the past few nights. It was slowly getting better. She didn't know if she would ever be ok with what happened but at least she could learn to deal with it. She thought a lot about where Danny was and if he had gotten her message.

When Monday morning rolled around, she was ready to start class. She woke up and headed for the shower. She had an 8:00 class and she didn't want to be late on the first day. She dried herself off and headed back to her room to dress for the day. She had dressed and dried her hair when she began to feel nauseous. She ran to the bathroom and just barely made it there in time. Had she eaten anything that morning she would have lost it all. She washed her face off and brushed her teeth and headed back to her room. She pulled out her book bag and started to load it up with her books and notebooks when she felt the feeling again.

After three attempts at getting out the door and to class, she gave up and lay down on her bed. She rolled over and began to cry again. It was her first day of class and she was sick. Why did her life always have to be such a mess? She soon fell asleep.

After three days, she hadn't got any better. She hadn't been to a single one of her classes. It was about time she visited the doctor to get to the bottom of what was going on. She made an appointment for the following morning and went back to bed. She hadn't been to a single class all week. The four week summer semester was shot. She called her parents and they arranged for her to have an apartment off campus. She withdrew from her classes and began to pack up her dorm room.

The following morning she loaded up her car and headed to the doctor's office. She sat in the office as she filled out the paper work. She looked around at the other patients. Life had become increasingly difficult since she graduated high school and that hadn't even been two weeks ago. If things had escalated to this level in two weeks she didn't want to know what would happen in the upcoming months. Her name was called and she got up and followed the nurse.

Sam left the doctor's office in a trance. She hopped in her car and drove downtown to her new apartment. She unloaded her car and started fixing her apartment. She felt like she was having déjà vu. She had just done this the previous week for her dorm room. It didn't take her long to settle in since she hadn't brought much with her. When she finished, she did something she was becoming very familiar with, she lay on her bed and cried. This time was different than before. Things had become complicated. She had learned that day that very soon she would be responsible for another life, a life that Danny had helped create.

It had taken several months but Sam was learning to adjust the fact she was going to be a parent very soon. She had agonized over whether to tell Danny that he was going to be a father or not. Part of her wanted to tell him so he could assume the fatherly role and she wouldn't have to go through all of this alone. Another part of her kept reminding her that he had Valerie. There was no way he would drop Valerie to be with her. She thought he at least had a right to know what had happened. She owed that to him just in case he did decide to do the right thing.

Sam was only four months along and had not begun to show yet. She packed a few things and threw them in her car and headed to Amity Park for the weekend. She was going to tell Danny regardless of what the outcome might be. It was a long trip back and she had a long time to think. However, the drive did nothing to clear her head. She arrived in Amity Park tired and anxious. Her first bit of business was to check in with her parents. She had not told them the great news yet. She could just hear her mother complaining about what a mistake she had made. Sleeping with Danny may have been a mistake but she now had a little piece of him to keep forever in the form of a child.

She entered the house to find it empty. Of course it was empty, it was Labor Day weekend. Her parents used this time to go spend time with their wealthier friends. Sam couldn't help but feel relieved. She was terribly afraid her mother would find her out; mother's seemed to have a sixth sense about these things.

Sam followed the stairs to her room. She looked around at it and thought back to how different her life had been when she left it not even four months ago. Her broken heart had been the only thing on her mind when she left town. Now that she was back, there was a considerable bit more. She lay down on her bed and fell asleep.


	4. News To Me

_Thanks again to all of you who took the time to review. I'm sorry if there was any confusion over previous chapters. I hope everything is clear now._

**AK**

Sam had been in town a whole day before she got up the nerve to locate Danny. She had thought a lot about how to break the news to him. She still wasn't sure of how to do it. She needed help and she wasn't sure where she could find it at. After thinking over all of her options, she made a quick call to Tucker. Tucker had stayed in Amity Park for college. His friendship with Danny, though strained, was still fairly strong. He believed that one of them needed to be there to help him out. Tucker picked up the phone on the third ring.

"Hey Tuck, it's me."

"Sam? Where have you been the past couple months?"

"You know where I've been. I called to tell you a couple things. I'm back in town for the weekend and I really need to talk to you. Do you want to come over?"

"Sure I'll be there in a few."

It took Tucker no longer than ten minutes to be at her front door. She opened the door and the two walked to her basement.

"So, Sam, how's school going?"

"Funny thing, I never went to school."

"What?"

"I got there and moved into my dorm and I was sick and had to miss the first day of class."

"That's awful."

"You have no idea. Can you tell me how Danny's doing?"

"He's surviving. After he got that message you left him he's never been the same. He broke up with Valerie because you said you would be back. I guess he was right. He misses you like crazy. It's been so hard to not tell him where you've been. Are you back to fix things?"

"Well, not exactly. How much do you know about what went on between us?"

"All I know is what you told me. Danny won't even speak about you. He's as heart broken as you were."

"Tucker, I don't know what to do. No matter what I can't seem to get him out of my head."

"Even with school all you think about is him? What kind of classes are you taking? Can you sign me up?"

"I'm not in school."

"What?!? Why not?"

"Remember I said I was sick the first day of classes?"

"Yeah but that was summer school. The fall semester should have started now."

"Well that sickness lasts about nine months. I'm pregnant Tucker. It's Danny's."

"No way. Did you come to tell him?"

"Yeah, actually I did. I don't know if I can though."

"You have to. He deserves to know. I can't believe this. When did you two… you know?"

"Prom night. It was such a mistake. He came to me and told me he broke up with Valerie. He was drunk though and passed out on my floor. He woke me up the next morning and it happened then."

"This is too much for my brain to process."

"Tucker! You have to help me. I don't know what to do. It's been four months already and I've been on my own with this. You are the first person I've told."

"We have to tell Danny, Sam."

"Can't we wait 'til the baby graduates high school?"

"No, he might like to know sooner than that."

Sam and Tucker spent the majority of the evening together. He left her house at 10:00 and made her promise to tell Danny before she left again. Sam reluctantly agreed. She knew that Danny needed to know. His reaction to it, however, was unpredictable. If she just knew what he would say, she could make her decision a lot easier. She locked up the house and headed upstairs to her bedroom. She turned off her lights and got into her bed. She lay there lost in thought when she felt two strong, invisible arms wrap around her.

"Danny?" He appeared beside her. She was shocked to see tears running down his face.

"What's wrong Danny?"

"When were you going to tell me Sam?"

"Tell you what? What are you talking about?"

"I'm going to be a father. I can't believe it. I'm so excited. I love you so much, Sam, the mother of my child."

"You were spying on me?"

"Sorry I was flying by when I seen you let Tucker in. I didn't even know you were in town. Here you are with the best news ever." He moved his hand to rub her stomach.

"Danny, I don't know how to feel about this. I loved you with all my heart. I thought we were going to be together after prom. I thought that was going to be the beginning of our relationship. I've spent the past three and a half months living in an apartment by myself with your child growing inside me. Do you know why it happened like that?"

"Valerie?"

"Bingo. Why did you have to run back to her after what happened between us?"

"She was my safety net. I thought everything was going to change after that night. I was scared. I needed you more than I needed anything before. It was just overwhelming. When I talked to her that morning, I just fell back into an old routine. I knew it was safe to be with her. It didn't take long for me to realize she could never offer me in a lifetime what you did in that one night."

"I wish that none of that would have ever happened."

"Do you wish the baby would have never happened?"

"No, I think I'm happy about that. No matter what happens from here on out there is a part of me and you that will be together forever."

"I love you, Sam."

"Love you, too, Danny."

"What do we do now?"

"I don't know."

Danny once again spent the night with Sam. They spent the whole night talking and making plans for the future. When they finally fell asleep, Danny had wrapped his arms around Sam pulling her tightly to him. His hand slid down to rest on her belly where their child was resting inside.

When the weekend ended, Sam was sad to see it go. It was time for her to return to her apartment and her new life. Danny was devastated that she wasn't going to stay in Amity Park with him. He wanted to be able to help her out and he wanted to be there when the baby was born. Truth be told he wanted to marry her. Sam had told him she wasn't ready for that just yet. She left for home and promised to see him at Thanksgiving. She had left Danny behind for the second time in less than a year. At least this time he knew she would be back.

When Sam made it home the reality of the weekend was just starting to set in. It had been a little risky for her to return to Amity Park when she hadn't told her parents of the situation yet. She knew there was no way they would accept their only daughter being pregnant with a Fenton. They would probably expect her to give the baby up or not have it at all. As she unloaded the car at her apartment, she felt it for the first time. She felt the soft kicks of the baby. That was the moment she decided that her parents would never know. She had wanted this baby just because it was Danny's at first but now there was more to it. It was a life, a living being, growing inside of her. It would love her unconditionally, unlike Danny, unlike her parents. She was never going to give it up.

Over the next two months Sam threw herself into preparing for the baby. She was extremely glad that her parents had bought her a two bedroom apartment. She had started to show and was anxiously waiting going back to Amity Park. She had been talking to Danny over the phone a few times since she had been back and had let go of a great deal of the hurt he had caused during their last year of high school. She was starting to think that maybe everything would work out for the best.

There was just two weeks left before Sam would go back to Amity Park for Thanksgiving and she was going to have an ultrasound to finally find out whether she was having a boy or a girl. She really hoped that it would be a girl with Danny's big blue eyes. She had always had a slight disdain for the color of her own eyes. Although no matter what it was, boy or girl, she would love it. She was sure Danny would, too. She had decided that if things went well over Thanksgiving she would move back to Amity Park. Her baby was going to need its daddy and Danny needed to see his child.

The week before Thanksgiving Sam made the decision to call her parents. She hadn't talked to them since June. They didn't know about the baby and she still wasn't going to tell them. She just wanted to make sure they weren't going to be home when she arrived. It would be hard to keep her growing stomach a secret. After three rings one of her parent's servants answered the phone. Sam soon discovered that her parents were gone but they would be back for Thanksgiving. That meant she would have to find someplace else to stay and hope she didn't run into them. She called Danny and arranged to stay with the Fenton's.

The day arrived and she had loaded up her car and was ready to go to Amity Park when her phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID to see that it was her mother calling. She sent a silent prayer out in hopes that her mother hadn't found out about her return. She crossed her fingers and answered the phone.

"Hey mom, what do you want?"

"Is that any way to talk to your mother?"

"It is when you're bothering me."

"Samantha, I just.."

"Sam."

"You know I hate that name."

"Well it's my name so I'll choose what I'm called."

"Fine, _Sam,_ I was just calling to let you know we are having some important business partners over for the holidays."

"Are you telling me to stay away? If you are, don't bother, I'm not coming back there anyway."

"I'm not telling you to stay away. I was hoping you would come. There are a few nice young men that I think you would like."

"No."

"Samantha, just…"

"Sam."

"…come and meet them. It would look really good if our daughter was with one of these guys."

"Oh I see. What if I already have a boyfriend? You know it's been a while since I last talked to you. What if I got married?"

"Samantha, you…"

"Sam."

"…better not have disgraced this family."

"Mom, listen closely. I don't live in the same city as you anymore. Nobody knows where I am or what I'm doing. You can tell all you're little friends that you don't have any children or that I died. I don't care. Just don't try to force me into dating one of your suitors. It's not going to happen. There have been some changes in my life the past couple of months and I'm happier than I've ever been. Please just leave me alone."

"But, Saman…" Sam hung up on her mother and pulled out of her parking space. She hoped, now more than ever, that she would not run into her mother.

Just before sunset, Sam pulled up in front of the Fenton's. She had never asked Danny if he had told his parent's about the baby. She could only hope that this wouldn't turn into an awkward situation when the first saw her. She walked up to the door and knocked. From inside she heard a few bangs and then footsteps walking toward the door.

"Please be Danny. Please be Danny. Please be Danny." The door open and there he stood. Danny's face lit up when he saw her.

"Sam! You're here. I've missed you so much." He pulled her into a bone crushing hug.

"Hey Danny. Could you loosen up a little bit I can't breathe here."

"Sorry. Come on in. Mom and Dad are in the basement working on something and Jazz is in the living room watching a movie. We can go up to my room."

Sam followed Danny into the house and up to his room. He closed the door behind her and immediately pulled her into another hug.

"I can't believe you're here. How have you been?" Sam pulled away and went to sit down on his bed.

"I've been ok. My mother's trying to find me a husband as we speak but other than that everything's good." She saw Danny's eyes briefly flash green.

"She what? Doesn't she know about us?"

"Us? There's an 'us'? I didn't know we were together. You never asked."

"Sorry. I just assumed since, you know, that we were together. Do you wanna be my girlfriend?"

"Yeah. I was just messing with you. Do your parents know they are about to be grandparents?" Danny sighed and headed toward the bed and sat down beside Sam.

"No. I never got up the courage to tell them. Nobody knows but me and Tucker. Do your parent's know?"

"No. It's best that way." Sam stood up and removed her coat revealing her stomach. "It's going to be hard to hide this."

"Oh wow. I never thought about that. Wow Sam." He rubbed her stomach. "That's us in there. Do you know what it is yet?"

"It's a girl. When do we tell you're parents?"

"Let's start with Jazz." He walked over to the door and cracked and yelled down the stairs. "Hey, Jazz! Can you come up here?" He heard her mumble something and then head up the stairs. Sam sat down on the bed and tried to hide her stomach so she didn't scare the poor girl when she came through the door.

"What is it, Danny? This better be good. Oh, hi Sam. I didn't know you were here."

"Hey, Jazz. I just got here. We have something to tell you." Sam glanced at Danny.

"Yeah, Jazz. Me and Sam are together now."

Jazz's jaw dropped and she pulled Danny into a hug. "I'm so happy for you little brother. I knew how much you wanted this."

"Thanks Jazz. There's more to it than that though. I'll tell you but you have to promise me two things."

"I promise, Danny."

"Ok. One, you can't freak out. Two, you have to go give Sam a hug and congratulate her, too." Jazz walked over to Sam with her arms open. She bent down to where she was sitting and wrapped her arms around her. Sam embraced the girl and stood to meet her. Jazz's jaw dropped a second time when she felt something she shouldn't have felt. Sam's stomach was sticking out. She pulled away a little bit and looked Sam straight in the face.

"Sam, you're pr.. pr…"

"Yeah. I'm about six months along now. What do you think?" Jazz stepped back and looked at the girl.

"I just have two questions. Do you know who the father is and why are you with Danny if you're having someone else's child?"

"Yes I know who the father is and I'm with Danny because he is the father." Sam watched as that news sank in. Jazz's face went from confusion to shock to surprise to one of pure joy.

"You mean I'm going to be an aunt?" Danny walked over to the two girls.

"That's what it means, Jazz."

"Little brother, how long have you two been together? I thought that you all had a fight back before school was out. You were still with Valerie then."

"Technically, we've only been together for a few minutes. I broke up with Valerie on prom night and went to Sam. I was drunk and got a little carried away. This is all my fault and I accept total responsibility for it. I couldn't be happier now."

"How do you feel about this, Sam? He may be happy because it brought you two together but you're the one who's going to carry the child."

"I've never been happier. Even before I told Danny I was happy. If he would have been mad and never spoke to me again I would have been happy. This child inside of me is one of the greatest gifts I've ever been given. I love Danny with all my heart and from now on there's a piece of me and him that will always be together, no matter what."

Jazz hugged Sam a second time as tears of joy ran down her face. "Welcome to the family, Sam. I always knew this is where you belonged. We have to tell mom and dad."

"Danny thought we should run it by you first. How do you think they'll handle it?"

Jazz smiled at the girl to help alleviate her fears. "Sam, dad always wanted grandchildren. I've listened to him blather on and on about that more than once. They'll be thrilled."

Danny grabbed Sam's hand and gave it a little squeeze. "Come on Sammy. We'll all go down together. You'll come, too, Jazz." Jazz nodded at her brother.

They all three walked toward the basement. Sam couldn't believe the reaction she had gotten from Jazz. She had expected the older girl to freak out and lecture them on how they were too young. It felt nice to be accepted and be welcomed into the family. She only hoped his parents were as accepting.

Jazz opened the basement door and headed down the steps followed by Danny and then Sam. Sam could feel her heart pounding.

"Hey, Jazzy! What are you doing down here?" Jack's loud voice seemed to come from all directions.

"Hey, dad. I brought some visitors with me. I think we all need to have a talk."

Maddie came out from behind the big machine she was working on in time to see Sam coming down the stairs. "Sam? Is that really you?"

"It's really me Mrs. Fenton."

"Oh my look at you. Are you pregnant?" The shock on Maddie's face was priceless. Sam looked at the ground as she thought to herself that maybe this wasn't all going to work out as Jazz had said.

"Yes. That's what we needed to talk about."

Maddie's gaze turned to Danny. "Daniel Fenton, what did you do?"

"Mom! I think it's pretty obvious what I did or we did."

"Danny, I don't want to hear about that." She walked over to Sam and hugged the girl. "Sam, I'm so sorry. You two are way too young to be in this situation."

"It's ok Mrs. Fenton. I'm happier than I've ever been."

"Are you sure about that? I know that my son has a tendency to break your heart."

"It's ok. He hasn't done anything to hurt me since he found out. Actually, it's been longer than that."

"Danny, how long have you known we were going to be grandparents and not told me?" Jack's booming voice reverberated around the room.

Danny grinned sheepishly at his dad. "About two months?"

Maddie looked at her baby boy in shock. "Two months? You've known this for two months and you couldn't find a way to tell us? How far along are you, Sam?"

"I'm about six months now."

"Alright, Maddie, we're going to be grandparents! I've always dreamed about this day."

For the first time that day, Maddie's face began to beam. "We are, aren't we, Jack. My baby boy's going to be a father." She ran to Danny pulling him into one of the Fenton's patented bone crushing hugs. Tears began to stream down her face. Jazz and Sam stood back and took in the scene. It seemed that as usual, Jazz was right.


	5. Coming Home

_Chapter five… Sorry for the delay my internet's been acting funny. Anyway, it may be a few days before I post any more. I'm working my way through Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and I can't seem to tear myself away from it. As always if you like what you read let me know. I love to hear from you! _

_Please forgive any mistakes…_

**AK**

The holidays came and went and Sam found herself in her apartment alone again. Thanksgiving had gone by quick once everyone had found out about her pregnancy. Christmas had also came and gone. It was the middle of January and Sam was now eight months pregnant. She had done a lot of thinking about where she was going to have this baby. If she stayed where she was she would undoubtedly have the baby alone. She wasn't sure she could handle doing it alone. She needed Danny and Danny couldn't come. He had to stay in Amity Park for school and the job he had taken on to help cover the costs of becoming a father. She knew that eventually she would have to move back to Amity Park to be with him. It would make things so much simpler if her parents would move away. Here she was eight months pregnant, nearing nine, and her own parents didn't know. Sam looked out her window and watched the snow fall and blanket the ground. She thought for a few more minutes and finally made up her mind. She made a few quick phone calls and she was ready. She was moving back to Amity Park that week. She was going to have her baby in her home town where her and Danny could live together.

Sam picked up her cell phone and quickly punched in Danny's number. She was on the outskirts of Amity Park, followed by a moving truck, and would be pulling up in front of FentonWorks in less than 10 minutes. She had not told Danny about her plans to move back to Amity Park since she had made the decision a short 48 hours ago. She liked the idea of surprising him anyway.

"Sam! Is it time now? Are you having the baby?"

"Relax, Danny. This is a strictly social call. No business to tend to today."

"Don't scare me like that Sam. I wish I could be there with you when our baby is born."

Sam blushed when he used our when referring to the baby. "Well, today may be your lucky day."

"What do you mean, Sam?"

"I might have figured out a way for you to be with me."

"What is it? I really want to be there."

"You'll see. What are your plans for today?"

"This is my day off, so I don't have any."

"That's good."

"Ok. Are you going to tell me the plan?" In the background the door bell at FentonWorks could be heard. "Hold on, Sam, someone's at the door."

"Sure thing, Danny." Danny ran down stairs and threw open the door expecting to see the mailman or anyone else other than who was standing there.

"Sam?"

"Surprise, Danny." And surprised is what he was. Danny reached out and wrapped his arms around Sam, lifting her up and spinning her around. He heard her giggle in excitement and a huge grin spread across his face. He had missed her so much and now she was back.

"I'm so glad your back. I can't stand not seeing you all the time."

"I missed you, too. Now do you mind putting me down and helping me out a little?"

"Sorry, Sam. I get a little carried away every now and then. What did you need help with?"

"My stuff. I'm moving back to Amity Park."

"Are you serious? Where are you staying?"

"I'm very serious. I was hoping you'd take in the mother of your child for a coupla days while I look for an apartment."

"Absolutely, Sam. You're always welcome here." He finally looked out past Sam to see a huge moving truck sitting in front of the house. "I don't think we'll have room for all of your stuff though. Is there someplace else you can put it for now?"

"It's already taken care of. It's going into storage for a while. There are just a few things I'll need off the truck. If you don't mind getting them for me, they'll be on their way."

"I'm on it Sam, you point and I'll lift." Sam and Danny headed out to the truck and quickly unloaded the boxes she would need and sent the truck on its way. They took her stuff up to Danny's room and began to unpack. Sam kept stealing little glances at Danny, not believing how lucky she had become. She had loved him for the better part of the last five years and now he was hers. That wasn't all though. He was hers and they were going to be parents. The more Sam thought about it she started to get a little misty-eyed. Her pregnancy had turned her into a mess at times. She hadn't had major mood swings but it didn't take much to make her cry. She continued to go through the boxes and soon tears were rolling down her cheeks. She sniffled and it immediately caught Danny's attention.

"Sammy, what's wrong." He had called her Sammy, a few more tears escaped at that. As he walked up to her and began to wipe away her tears with his thumb she began to sob. She didn't know how she had finally become so lucky.

"I love you, Danny."

"I love you, too, Sammy. Please don't cry."

"I can't help it. Your kid is messing me all up. I'm happy, I just can't stop crying."

"My kid." Danny said with a far away tone in his voice. She looked up at him and could see him beginning to get a little misty.

"No, Danny. You can't cry, too."

"My kid, Sammy. Mine. That's me in there."

"Yeah, well, it's me, too and I'd appreciate a little recognition, too."

"Sorry, Sammy. I can't believe this. I've had a couple of months to adjust to this but it's still unbelievable. I created life, with you. I've loved you longer than I can really remember. The more I think about it, the harder it becomes to think of a time when I didn't love you. I just wish that I would have known sooner."

"You mean before now or before the night you snuck into my room and impregnated me?"

"I wish I would have known the moment it happened. We could have been together all that time. Sammy, will you marry me?"

"What?"

"I don't have a ring or anything but I want to be a family with you and our daughter."

"I thought we were gonna go slow."

"I guess that's a no then."

"That's not what I said. I'm just a little surprised is all."

"We kinda kicked it into hyperdrive when we had sex and you became pregnant. We've just been stalled because you moved away from here."

"Let me think, Danny. What would we do? Where would we live?"

"I'm sure my parents would let us stay here until we found a place, maybe longer. Dad would love to have his grandchild running around here. You have no idea how excited he's been."

"Ok, then. Let's do it. Let's get married."

"Really, Sam. You'll marry me?"

"Yes, Danny, I will."

"Let's do it now. We can go to the courthouse and do it today."

A few hours later, Maddie and Jazz were sitting at the table in the Fenton's kitchen. Maddie was quietly working on her latest invention as Jazz studied her for a thesis she had to write. They were quite the site to see. Neither of them had spoken a word to each other for over two hours. They had just been sitting in silence. They heard the front door open and Danny call out to them. Not long after that, Danny appeared in the kitchen holding Sam's hand. Jazz squealed which caused Maddie to look up.

"Sam, honey, look at you. How's my grandbaby doing?"

"She's doing good Mrs. Fenton."

"Call me Maddie, Sam. We're all family anyway."

"I'll remember that." Sam looked over at Jazz who was so happy she was busting at the seams. "Hey, Jazz."

"Sam! I'm so happy to see you. When's the baby coming? I can't wait to meet my niece or nephew."

"Calm down, Jazz. Sam's had a big day. She moved back to Amity Park today. We'll all get to be there when the baby's born. Where's dad at?"

"Your father went out to buy some parts to work on his latest invention. He should be back soon. Where's Sam staying?"

"That's what we needed to talk about. She's going to be staying with me."

"Danny, do you think that's appropriate."

"Yeah, I do mom. She's my wife now."

"She's what?"

"My wife. We got married this afternoon." Maddie was beyond words. She looked at the two children in front of her. They had given up everything. Their future, their dreams, all gone because of the life Sam was carrying inside her. Jazz ran forward and threw her arms around the both of them.

"I'm so happy for you guys." Sam began to cry.

"Thanks Jazz. This means a lot to me."

"Did you two even think about what you were doing? You're only eighteen years old. You graduated high school less than a year ago. You're my baby, Danny."

"I always will be, mom. You think that it's a bad idea that I married the mother of my child?"

"Danny, you're so young. You all haven't even been together that long. How do you know that it was the right thing to do?"

"I know because I love her. She's been my best friend for fifteen years. Do you realize that I don't have a memory without her in it? I've loved her for five years, probably longer. I went through some rough times in high school. Although she was probably the reason for the problems, she stood beside me and we went through everything together. She's done more for me than you can ever know. She's protected me, she's loved me, and more than anything she's put up with me. I don't think there is another woman in the world that would go through what Sam has gone through for me. I thank her for all she did for me by getting her pregnant and ruining her dreams of going to college. After all of that, the least I could do is marry her and let her know that it's my time to stand by her."

"I never realized Danny. Although, when I look back over your life I see how obvious it is. I remember the day you met Sam. You were at the park playing in the dirt when she walked up and sat beside you. You two never spoke to each other, you just sat there. She was doing her thing and you were doing yours. From that moment on you wouldn't go play unless Sam was sitting there beside you. She's been backing you up since before you needed it."

"I know, mom. I wish that I would have realized it sooner. Maybe I wouldn't have been so terrible to her after all she did for me." Danny looked over at Sam to see the tears rolling off her cheeks for the second time that day.

That night found a very happy Danny and Sam lying in bed together. They had weathered the storm of telling Danny's parents they were married but lurking off on the horizon was the category five storm of telling Sam's parents. They still didn't know she was pregnant. How would they react when they found out that not only was there only daughter pregnant, she had married the one boy they hated the most? Danny lay there listening to the rhythmic breathing of Sam and he was reminded of the night he found out she was pregnant. These were two of the happiest moments in his life, the night he found out that him and Sam would share the life of a child and the night that they would share their lives with each other. He raised his hand and began to gently stroke Sam's hair. She was beautiful. He had known it for a long time, ever since he realized that it was ok to think that. He had loved Sam his entire life. He thought of Valerie. He thought of Paulina. How could he have ever risked what he had for something as shallow as those two? He wrapped his arm around Sam, careful not to grab her stomach, and pulled her tightly to him.

"Sammy, I love you so much. I'm so sorry for everything. I'm so glad you're my wife now. I will take care of you for as long as I live. I'll love you forever." He whispered softly into her ear than lay his head back on the pillow and went to sleep.

It seemed that he had just fallen asleep; it couldn't have been more than five minutes. He was awaken by Sam tightly gripping his arm. His eyes shot wide open and he looked down at her. She was sweating heavily and her breathing was erratic.

"Are you ok, Sammy?"

"Danny, I think we better go to the hospital."

"Alright, let me get dressed and tell mom and dad."

Danny quickly jumped up and threw on the closet thing he could find. He ran out of his room and down the hall to his parent's room. He could hear his dad snoring just beyond the door. He raised his fist and began pounding on the door. It was going to take a miracle for either of his parents to wake up with his dad snoring like that. He pounded a few more times and the snoring stopped. He heard footsteps and then his mom opened the door.

"Danny, what is going on? It's three in the morning."

"Sam's gonna have the baby. We're going to the hospital."

"Jack, Sam's in labor. Get up!"

Danny turned and ran back down the hall and grabbed Sam. She was lying on the bed where he left her. He quickly picked her up and flew them both to the hospital. Once inside Sam was rushed back to a room. Danny quickly filled out all of the information he could on her. As he sat there, his parents and Jazz ran through the door. Jazz was the first to spot him.

"Danny, where is she? How is she? Has she had it yet?"

"Calm down Jazz. They just took her back. She's in a lot of pain and not too happy with me and no, she hasn't had it yet."

"Good. When can we see her?"

"I don't know yet. A nurse will be by in a bit." Danny's mom approached him and sat beside him.

"Danny, where are Sam's parents?"

"They don't exactly know about any of this."

"They don't know she's in labor or they don't know she's pregnant."

"The second one."

"Danny." His mom emphasized his name in that way she always does when she disapproves of something he does.

"Sam's parent's don't like me mom. They'll never accept the fact that she's having my baby. They'll never accept the fact that I'm part of their family now. Sam didn't want them to know and I didn't exactly persuade her to tell them. They would die or have me killed if they found out their only grandchild was a Fenton."

"They need to know. Sam's going to need her mother through this. I don't know where I would have been without my mother when Jazz was born."

"Mom, I can't call them and tell them about this unless Sam wants me to. Can you be there for her if she doesn't want her own mother?"

"I'd love to Danny. If that's what Sam wants."

After hastily finishing the paperwork, Danny and Maddie were both rushed back to see Sam. Maddie was convinced that Sam needed her mother there. She was going to do all that she could to talk her into calling her and telling her. Her thoughts died when she saw Sam. The only girl her only son had ever loved. It was true that the two had been through so much together. She was really proud of Danny for stepping up when Sam needed him the most. She watched as Danny stood by Sam's side, took her hand, and gently kissed her on the forehead. She walked around to the side that Danny wasn't standing.

"Hey, Sam."

"Hey, Mrs. Fenton."

"Sam, please call me mom. I don't like it when my family is so formal." Sam smiled at her.

"Thanks."

"Sam, do you want us to call your mom so she can be with you?"

"No. Please don't. I want this child to at least be born into a peaceful place. It'll be a mess and a huge fight if my mother shows up."

"You got it. Would you like me to stay with you then?"

"Would you? I was going to ask you before but after this afternoon I figure I'd better wait to spring it on you."

"I'd love to. Jack and Jazz are outside waiting. We're all here for you Sam."

"Wow, it's kind of nice to be part of a family."

Maddie took in that one sentence and looked at the girl lying before her. How bad could her home life have been? She looked at her son and then back to Sam. She had never been prouder of her little boy than she was right then. He had really grown up.

After several hours of labor, Evie was born at 9:14 the next morning. She was everything Sam had hoped she would be. She had a full head of black hair just like her parents. When the nurse handed her to Sam for her first feeding, Evie looked up at her. For the first time, Sam saw the big beautiful blue eyes that belonged to Danny. She turned her head to see Danny standing beside her smiling. As she looked from Danny back to their daughter, tears flooded her cheeks.


End file.
